Key Idea: Be the Person Your Children Want to Work For

Although all her children worked in the restaurant while growing up, each was encouraged to pursue work that fascinated them. Hope's light touch won over all seven as you can see in this family photograph. More...

Key Question:

You will never be able to pass your business to your children if they can't stand to be around you. Hope was the baby of five children herself and she was the only child who stayed around to work with her parents.

We don't know why her siblings left and certainly the wonderful thing about parenting is watching children find their talents then seeing them go off and develop them. There is no guarantee that any child can make their dreams come true working in a business that you started.

However, Hope is clearly the person her children want to work for.

Q: Is Hope a pushover?

A: She could be but we think it might be the opposite. Her parents worked long hard hours, she has worked long, hard hours and her children have seen what comes to those who work hard. They admire their Mother and want to be like her.

We know one founder who, when his children came to work for him, had to go into psychotherapy. They were astounded at how mean he was to people in the workplace. They told him they would not work there unless he changed. He changed and two of the three children are working in the company.

You may have seen the prayer, "Lord, make me the person my dog thinks I am." You can modify this and pray, "Lord, make me the person my adult children will admire."

Think about it

What do you have to change so that your children would want to work for you?

Clip from: Joe T. Garcia's, a family restaurant

Fort Worth: Recognized by the James Beard Foundation for their outstanding regional cuisine, this family restaurant is truly a celebrated landmark in the USA.

Hope LanCarte is a first-generation American and the matriarch of a family business that her father began in 1935. Within three generations, this place has become a celebrated landmark, paradise on earth, "The Miracle on Commerce Stre.et." Hope's father came from Mexico with nothing. And today, this family has everything.

What happens when a family works together, pulls together, and stays together for three generations? Impossible? In this episode of the show we find proof positive that it is possible. When a family coheres and works toward a common goal, miracles happen.

Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Restaurant

Be the Person Your Children Want to Work For

HATTIE: (Voiceover) Hope was the baby of five children. She was literally raised in the business. The family lived in the back of the house and took care of customers in front. So you had learned the business from both of your parents.

Hope, you know -- you see the papers -- restaurants open and close, open - close, open - close. And I know, from the research, that a restaurant is probably the hardest type business to make successful.

HOPE: That's right.

HATTIE: Why do you think this is working?

HOPE: I think hard work. You just have to just keep working at it and try to make it.

HATTIE: (Voiceover) What two immigrants began more than 60 years ago is now in its third generation as a family-owned business. Unidentified Woman: Where's Tyler?

HATTIE: Should we maybe have Hope and Mary sit right here? Unidentified Man #2: Sure.

HATTIE: OK. Hope and Mary. (Voiceover) On the patio we gathered as many of Hope's family members as we could. Hope has seven children; they're all involved in the business. And plans are being made for the fourth generation, Hope's 19 grandchildren. Well, is it always this hard to get people together?

LANNY: Oh, yes. No.

HATTIE: Where is everybody? LANNY: Working.

HATTIE: Everybody's... (Voiceover) Her sister, Mary, is the cashier and her daughter-in-law, Jodi, runs catering.

LANNY: I grew up in the restaurant business from the time I was born. I mean, bassinet was in the kitchen. I mean, I didn't know really much of anything besides a kitchen. I thought that that was, like, everybody's living room, dining room. I mean, you know, I just always grew up in the kitchen and fell in love with it.